Andrews Community Forest committee unveils draft plan; select board favors staged public-feedback process

The Andrews Community Forest Committee (ACFC) presented a preliminary draft plan and implementation flowchart to the Richmond Select Board and asked for guidance on public engagement. Committee members said they had completed a preliminary draft, shared it with regional partners, and hoped to collect committee feedback before broad public sessions.

ACFC representative Sam reviewed the document and the committee’s proposed next steps: (1) solicit detailed feedback from the Conservation Commission, Trails Committee, RCC and RTC; (2) integrate that feedback; and (3) hold one or two public feedback meetings before bringing a final draft back to the board for adoption. "We'd love for you all and the Vermont Land Trust to sign this and then we can move on to other fun things in the forest," the representative told the board.

Selectboard members agreed the process should be deliberate and visible to the public. Several board members suggested a special public meeting so residents know when to attend and to reduce the chance the item is buried late in a long agenda. The board also recommended that ACFC collect and incorporate technical feedback from regional bodies (RCC/RTC) before the first public hearing to surface technical issues in a smaller forum and sharpen the public meeting.

Why it matters: The ACFC plan governs stewardship, trail design principles, access and conservation priorities across the town-owned Andrews Community Forest. The process will shape where trails are sited, buffer rules, permissible recreational uses, and conservation protections—matters of sustained interest to hikers, landowners, and conservation advocates.

Next steps: ACFC will continue edits and solicit RCC/RTC feedback, then coordinate with staff to schedule a special-board public feedback meeting this summer; the board suggested planning another review session in the fall prior to formal adoption.